Label: Giant Steps Records, 2024

Personnel - Orrin Evans: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Tarbaby is the cooperative trio of pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Nasheet Waits, all well-established musicians in the jazz scene. Formed in the late 1990s, the trio reached a peak in its career in 2022 with the release of Dance of the Infidels (Clean Feed, 2022), featuring alto saxophonist Oliver Lake. Their fifth album, You Think This America comprises two originals - one each by Evans and Waits - along with covers from several genres.

The album opens with Ornette Coleman’s “Dee Dee”, a driving mid-tempo tune expressed with striking accentuations in a triangular dialogue that grooves and moves. The group is on the verge of swinging here without ever being explicit on that direction. Yet, they do it in-the-pocket on Jimmy Cox’s blues “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”, with Waits sensitively brushing the skins of his drum kit.

Evans’ “Red Door” uncovers an elated theme with fragments of post-bop and Latin, showcasing a robust bass solo and effusive, technique-driven drum chatting. In contrast, Waits’ “Kush” is a waltzing ballad with some twists and a bluesy touch. Saxophonist David Murray’s “Mirror of Youth” is an unexpected and bold choice, with the members navigating different directions for a polyrhythmic feel that later coheres into a polished post-bop waltz wrapped in sweetness.

The level of engagement remains evident on Andrew Hill’s “Reconciliation”, expressed with churning detail, and on Sunny Murray’s “Tree Tops”, a triangulated open-ended cycle with a frenetically brushed rhythmic flux, pedal-anchored bass, and a reiterative melody on piano.

Although these talented musicians don’t quite surpass their previous heights, You Think This America remains a consistently enjoyable listening.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Dee Dee ► 03 - Red Door ► 10 - Tree Tops

Label: Clean Feed Records, 2022

Personnel - Orrin Evans: piano; Eric Revis: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums + Guests: Oliver Lake: alto saxophone; Josh Lawrence: trumpet; Dana Murray: percussion (#4).

The new outing from Tarbaby, the acoustic avant-jazz trio co-led by pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits, primarily guests the legendary altoist Oliver Lake, and also greets the up-and-coming Josh Lawrence on trumpet and Dana Murray on percussion on selected tunes. Dance of the Evil Toys, their first album for the Clean Feed label, comprises 11 compositions - three by Revis, two by Lake, two collective improvisations, two surprising covers, and one each by Waits and Lawrence.

The album opens with “Blessed One The Eternal Truth” by the soul jazz keyboardist Trudy Pitts, featuring vocals by Evans over a wonderful accompaniment of bass and brushed drums. The pianist brings out a bright chordal sequence in the B section of the tune and his singing becomes more and more captivating. The two following numbers are by Lake: “Bonu” was originally included in the saxophonist duo album with William Parker, To Roy, and later revisited in 2017 by the Trio 3. This current version features Waits at the outset - his command of the kit involves cymbal washes and subdued tom-tom activity - and then Lake, who formulates his melodies with expressive intonation over a protean texture that never rushes but tentatively swells in intensity. His phrases find echoes in his peers’ actions. The other piece is “Bumper”, where the altoist leads by blowing with eloquence, triumphantly backed by a rhythm team that stretches loose with swinging motions and pulsing vitality. Evans is marvelous in his harmonic deconstructions and Waits gets our attention here again with explicit snare maneuvers and unexpected accents.

The composition that gave the album its title is the first of three Revis offerings. As you may recall, this piece was the opening track of Branford Marsalis’ outstanding album The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. This straight eight avant-garde expedition can take us anywhere in our mind, and the simultaneous presence of Lawrence and Murray expedites bass perambulations and other fragmented passages with enough tonal inquiries. The trumpeter’s laid-back “Purple” doesn’t distract from the staples the trio defines for itself, and comes fueled by the distinct yet effective articulations of Lawrence and Lake, who blow their horns both separately and combined. Preceding that, Waits’ “Ke-Kelli” revealed as much enigmatic tones as shifting precision, reaching its apex with a stupefying piano solo over a vamping sequence with stately teamwork between bass and drums.

Tarbaby’s take on Prince’s haunting pop ballad “Sometimes it Snows in April” ends the recording on a soft note. Yet, intuitive players of the highest order like these rarely allow you to rest in their infinite search for something.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Bumper ► 04 - Dance of the Evil Toys ► 06 - Ke-Kelli